Outboard motor repair fixture



y 2, 1957 R. M. KERR 3,317,205

OUTBOARD MOTOR REPAIR FIXTURE Filed April 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet '1INVENTOR. Posse-r M. K522 AT ORNEYS May 2, 1967 R. M. KERR 3,317,205

OUTBOARD MOTOR REPAIR FIXTURE Filed April 6, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 K26INVENTOR. 1 ROBERT M. K522,

ATTO E N 5Y8,

United States Patent 3,317,205 OUTBOARD MOTOR REPAIR FIXTURE Robert M.Kerr, 220 N. Main St., Winter Garden, Fla. 32787 Filed Apr. 6, 1964,Ser. No. 357,536 1 Claim. (Cl. 269-46) This invention relates to devicesfor repairing outboard motors, and more particularly to a fixture forholding portions of an outboard motor in readily accessible positionsfor repair or adjustments.

The main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedoutboard motor repair fixture which is relatively simple inconstruction, which is easy to install, which is adjustable through anangle of rotation of 360, and which provides a reliable and sturdysupport for a portion of an outboard motor requiring repair, adjustmentor modification.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved outboardmotor repair fixture which is inexpensive to fabricate, which is durablein construction, which is easy to adjust, and which safely and securelysupports a portion of an outboard motor thereon in a convenient andreadily accessible position so that repairs, adjustments, ormodifications may be made on said portion.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedoutboard motor repair fixture which is relatively compact in size, whichis easy to install, which occupies only a small amount of space, andwhich is provided with means for securely holding a portion of anoutboard motor in any desired orientation, so that it is easy to makerepairs, adjustments, or modifications of said portion.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view showing the various attachments and mainsupport unit forming a typical outboard motor repair fixture constructedin accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view showing the main support and face plateattachment of FIGURE 1, and illustrating how the face plate attachmentis employed to support the main body portion of an outboard motor inposition for repair or adjustment.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the tailassembly supporting attachment is employed with the main supportingmember of the repair fixture to hold an outboard motor tail assembly ina desired position for repair or adjustment.

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 5-5 of FIG- URE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a vertical longitudinal cross sectional view takensubstantially on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an outboard motorrepair fixture constructed in accordance with the present invention. Therepair fixture 11 comprises a supporting base, designated generally at12 and which consists of a horizontal bottom plate member 13 adapted tosecure to any convenient horizontal supporting surface, such as a worktable or the like. Perpendicularly secured to the center portion of thebottom plate 13 is an upstanding tubular post member 14, and rigidlysecured on the top end of the post member 14, as by welding or the like,is a horizontally extending sleeve member 15. As shown in FIGURE 1, thesleeve member 15 is rigidly secured substantially at its mid portion tothe top end of the vertical post member 14, said sleeve member 15extending parallel to the bottom plate 13.

Welded to the horizontal sleeve member 15 are a pair of nuts 17, 17which are in communication with apertures in the sleeve member 15 andwhich support clamping screws 18, 18, the clamping screws being threadedthrough the nuts 17 and engaged through the adjacent aperture in thesleeve member 15, the inner end portions of the clamping screwsextending radially into the sleeve member 15. The clamping screws 18 areprovided with outwardly projecting inclined handles or arms 19 forrotating the screws. The nuts 17, 17 are preferably located in a commontransverse plane and the axes of the screws 18, 18 are preferablyseparated by an angle of approximately It will be seen that the clampingscrews 18, 18 extend radially relative to the axis of the sleeve member15 and that their inclined handle portions 19, 19 are of substantiallength so as to facilitate rotating the screws either to clampingpositions or to unclamping positions, as will be presently explained.

Designated generally at 20 is a first fixture attachment comprising asubstantially vertical apertured bracket plate 21 adapted to be attachedto the body of an outboard motor, for example, the outboard motor body22 shown in dotted view in FIGURE 2, by bolts 23 engaged throughselected apertures 24 provided in the bracket plate 21. As shown inFIGURE 1, the apertures 24 are distributed over the area of the bracketplate in a manner such that at least some of the apertures 23 will bealigned with tapped openings in an outboard motor main body 22 to allowthe main body to be detachably secured to the bracket plate by bolts 23.

Rigidly secured to the center portion of the bracket plate 21 andprojecting perpendicularly therefrom is a tubular shaft 24 adapted totelescopically fit inside the sleeve member 15, and therefore having anoutside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of saidsleeve member. The tubular shaft member 24 is of sufiicient length sothat it will be receivable in the sleeve member 15 and can be clampinglyengaged by the clamping bolts 18, 18 when they are tightened to hold thebracket plate 21 in any desired position of angular orientation. Thisenables the outboard motor body 22, clamped to the bracket plate, to besupported in any desired position of angular orientation, as requiredfor making the necessary repairs or adjustments thereon.

In using the attachment 20, the bracket plate 21 is secured to the body22 of the outboard motor in the manner above described, namely, byengaging bolts 23 through selected apertures 24 so as to engage intapped openings in the outboard motor body 22, whereby the body can beclampingly secured to the bracket plate 21. The shaft 24 is then engagedinto the sleeve 15 and the attachment 20 is then clamped in a desiredposition of angular orientation, as required to make the necessaryrepair or adjustment on the outboard motor body 22, employing theclamping screws 18, 18 in the manner above described.

Designated at 25 is another attachment for use with the main supportingmember 12, for the purpose of supporting the tail assembly of anoutboard motor in position for repair or adjustment. The attachment 25com.- prises a longitudinally slotted horizontal support bed consistingof a pair of opposed angle bars 26, 26 rigidly .connected at one end bya transversely extending vertical cross plate 27, whereby to define agenerally U-shaped structure wherein the top flanges of the angle bars26 are in the same plane and wherein the vertical flanges of said anglebars are in vertical parallel planes in the horizontal position of thebed 25, illustrated in FIGURE 1. The inner opposing longitudinal edgesof the top flanges of the angle bars 26, 26 are spaced apartsufliciently to define a longitudinal slot 28 of sufiicient width toreceive the substantially vertical portion 29 of an outboard motor tailassembly in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 4, from which it will beseen that the horizontal fin portion 30 of the tail assembly can besupported on the horizontal flanges of the angle bars 26, 26. Opposingangle brackets 31, 31 are welded to the angle bars 26, 26, the verticallegs of the brackets 31 being welded to the vertical flanges of theangle bars and the horizontal arms of the angle brackets extendinginwardly toward each other, substantially in the same transverse plane,and being spaced above the horizontal flanges of the angle bars 26sufiiciently to receive the outboard motor fin 30 between the horizontalarms of angle brackets 31 and the top flanges of angle bars 26 in themanner illustrated in FIGURE 4. The inner end portions of the horizontalarms of angle brackets 31 are apertured and have nuts 32 welded thereonin registry with the apertures to receive vertical clamping bolts 33,the clamping bolts being engageable on longitudinally extendingrectangular rigid pad elements 34 which are inserted beneath thehorizontal arms of the angle brackets in the manner illustrated inFIGURE 4. Said pads 34 are provided on their bottom surfaces withsuitable yieldable linings 35, which may be of rubber or other resilientdeformable material, said linings preventing damage to the subjacentsurface of the outboard motor fin 30 engaged thereby. Similar linings37, 37 are provided on the top surfaces of the hori zontal flanges ofangle bars 26, 26.

Rigidly secured to the intermediate portion of the vertical cross plate27 and projecting perpendicularly therefrom is a tubular shaft member24', similar to the tubular shaft member 24 employed with the bracketplate 21, and previously described. The shaft 24 is telescopicallyreceivable in the sleeve and may be clamped therein by the screws 18,18.

In using the attachment 25, the fin 30 of the tail assembly 29 isengaged on horizontal flanges of angle bars 26, 26, with the verticalportion of the tail assembly received in the slot 28, the fin being thenclamped in the slot 28 by means of the pads 34, 34 and the clampingscrews 33, 33 engaged on the top surfaces of the pads, in the mannerillustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. The clamping bolts 33 are provided withsquare top ends 37, engageable by a conventional wrench or similarimplement for rotating the screws. With the screws 33, 33 tightened, thetail assembly 29 is firmly secured in the fixture attachment 25, so thatthe shaft portion 24 may then be inserted in the sleeve 15 and locked inany desired rotated position therein by means of the clamping screws 18,18. Thus, the tail assembly 29 may be supported in any desired positionof angular orientation required to perform the necessary repairs oradjustments thereon. The tail assembly 29 may be easily removed wheneverdesired, by loosening the clamping screws 33, 33, allowing the tailassembly to be disengaged from the attachment, since the clampingpressure on the fin 30 is released.

While a specific embodiment of an improved outboard motor repair fixtureand typical attachment therefor have been disclosed in the foregoingdescription, it will be understood that various modifications within thespirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art.Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the inventionexcept as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

The combination, with the work table having an upper surface, of anoutboard motor repair fixture, for use with the tail portion of anoutboard motor having horizontal fin elements, the outboard motor repairfixture comprisa supporting base secured to the upper surfaceand havinga top side;

an upstanding post fixed to the base and extending vertically from thetop side thereof;

a substantially horizontal arranged, tubular sleeve member, having aninner end and an open outer end, secured substantially medially of saidends to the upstanding post;

an elongated, substantially tubular supporting projection telescopicallyfitted within the tubular sleeve and of a length to extend substantiallyfrom end to end thereof and including a portion extended outwardly ofthe open outer end of the sleeve member;

the sleeve having a pair of radially spaced openings formed thereinadjacent its inner end;

a connection element fixed to the sleeve and having a threaded openingtherein arranged about each of the sleeve openings, said threadedopenings being aligned with the sleeve openings;

a clamping screw threadedly engaged at each of said threaded openingsand extended through the sleeve openings into the sleeve to releasa-biylock against the supporting projection;

The clamping screws having handle means thereon to facilitate turningwhereby the projection is secured in any desired orientation withrespect to the sleeve;

a support bracket adapted to be detachably fastened to a portion of anoutboard motor whereby the motor is positioned in repair position withrespect to the work table, the support bracket being connected to thesupporting projection at its portion outwardly of the open end of thesleeve remote from said connection elements;

the support bracket including a substantially vertical cross plate fixedto said portion of the supporting projection;

opposed angle bars rigidly connected to the. vertical cross plate andextending outwardly therefrom at spaced locations to define a U-shapedstructure with a longitudinal slot therein;

the angle bars including top flanges;

substantially L-shaped angle brackets secured to the angle bars, thebrackets including horizontal arms extending inwardly towards each otherand spaced above the horizontal flanges of the angle bars;

lining means on the horizontal flanges;

pad elements adapted to overlie portions of the horizontal flanges; and

the horizontal fin element of the outboard motor being clamped betweenthe flanges and the pads, and changeable fastener means extendingthrough the angle brackets to releasably clamp the horizontal tailelement between the pads and the horizontal flanges.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,216,552 2/1917Dodge 269296 1,274,074 7/1918 OBrien 26978 1,398,096 11/1921 Frair 269761,495,894 5/1924 Du Bois 26976 1,614,697 1/1927 Snook 26976 2,188,4331/1940 Friese 269296 2,973,198 2/1961 Marks 26968,

HAROLD D. WHITEHEAD, Primary Examiner,

